Grassfire tempoarily shuts down traffic on Main Street in western Woodland

A maintenance crew mowing high grass and weeds on about 10 acres at the northwest corner of Ashley Avenue and Main Street in Woodland caused a fire around 2 p.m., Monday.

The crew, working for Tam Services, was using a large-scale mower as well as a small hand-held weedcutter when the fire started.

Firefighters for the Woodland Fire Department were dispatched to the scene and immediately shut down Main Street at Ashley Avenue to fight the blaze, which was considered to be slow moving and of little threat to any nearby structures.

A fire crew was deployed to Foy's Bike Shop at the western edge of the open field in case the fire went in that direction.

The fire was considered essentially under control by 2:31 p.m.

The field - which stretches between Main and Court streets and from Ashley Avenue to Sonoma Way - is occasionally cleared of high grass and weeds.

In the past sparks have been created when mowers have struck concrete remains of an old house at the eastern edge of the site, near Ashley.